Thursday, December 5, 2013

US WARNS CHINA AGAINST ESCALATING AIR ZONE TENSIONS

Beijing
(AFP) - US Vice President Joe Biden warned China on Thursday against
escalating a dispute over an East China Sea air zone, adding that
regional peace and stability were in Beijing's interests.

Biden
also criticised China's tightening of controls on foreign journalists,
stressing that the world's second-largest economy could become more
prosperous with American values such as human rights and freedom of
speech.

China's controversial move last month to declare an "air
defence identification zone" (ADIZ) -- which includes islands disputed
with Japan -- has "caused significant apprehension in the region", Biden
told a group of 60 American business leaders Thursday morning.

"As
China's economy grows, its stake in regional peace and stability will
continue to grow as well, because it has so much more to lose," he
added.

Biden
reiterated in his meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping that the
US does not recognise China's newly-declared air zone, a senior White
House official told reporters in Beijing late Wednesday.

China says all aircraft within it must obey its instructions or risk unspecified "defensive emergency measures".

The move provoked anger in the region and prompted the US, Japan and
South Korea all to defy Beijing by flying military and paramilitary
aircraft -- including two B-52 bombers in Washington's case -- into the
newly-declared zone.

The US official, who spoke anonymously in
order to discuss Biden's talks, added that it is now up to Beijing to
take action "to avoid the risk of mistake, miscalculation, accident or
escalation".

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei,
meanwhile, said Thursday that the US "should respect" that the zone "is
in line with international laws and conventions".

Beijing sees Tokyo as the aggressor in the dispute over the islands, which are controlled by Japan but claimed by China.

Biden went on to South Korea late Thursday for the final leg of his three-country trip before returning to Washington.

Despite
the heightened nationalistic feelings and rhetoric surrounding the
issue -- which hinges on a decades-old dispute over the Tokyo-controlled
island group -- experts say that any outbreak of violence remains
unlikely, as the major trade relationship between the two Asian powers
is a strong incentive for both sides to avoid conflict.

Innovation thrives where people breathe freely, says Biden

On
his China visit -- his second trip to the world's second-largest
economy since becoming US vice president in 2009 -- Biden also
emphasised the importance of freedom of expression and human rights,
saying that they were key to its future prosperity.

"Innovation
thrives where people breathe freely, speak freely, are able to challenge
orthodoxy, where newspapers can report the truth without fear of
consequences," he said, adding that China "will be stronger and more
stable and more innovative if it respects universal human rights".

The
comments Thursday came after he told mostly young Chinese visa
applicants at the US embassy Wednesday that "children in America are
rewarded, not punished, for challenging the status quo."

"I hope
you learn that innovation can only occur where you can breathe free,
challenge the government, challenge religious leaders," he added.

China's
ruling Communist Party maintains a tight grip on political dissent, and
while authorities routinely say their country protects lawful freedom
of speech and religion, rights groups and others note that abuses are
rampant.

Biden's comments did not go unnoticed by China's
state-run Global Times, which often takes a nationalistic tone and
dismissed his remarks in an editorial Thursday.

"They may reflect if they need to adjust their behaviour when a society
as understanding and mild as China cultivates nationalism toward the
US."

Biden voiced criticism of Beijing's treatment of American
journalists, becoming the highest-ranking US leader to speak out on the
issue.

Several US news outlets that have published investigations
into Chinese leaders' family wealth had their websites blocked in the
country and not received visas for their reporters.

The US and
China still have "many disagreements", Biden said, including some he
described as "profound" such as on "the treatment of US journalists".

Foreign
ministry spokesman Hong responded that "we have been providing a very
convenient environment for news coverage for foreign media and the
working and living environment for foreign media in China is good".

"As long as you are objective and just, I think an objective conclusion can be reached on that," he said.

Before leaving Beijing, Biden visited a bookstore and attended a tea ceremony at a local teahouse.

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